The 2013 Jacksonville Bar Association annual meeting and reception is Thursday at Deerwood Country Club.
The golf tournament begins with registration at noon, followed by a shotgun start at 1 p.m.
The annual meeting will begin after the conclusion of the tournament, which is your last opportunity to vote in the election of next year’s board of governors.
This also is your last opportunity to offer suggestions to outgoing JBA President Ray Driver on how to improve our Bar association.
Driver has asked that such requests be made in person, preferably right before or during his backswing.
Although typically discouraged on the golf course, shouting is not only appropriate but encouraged.
You don’t want to run the risk of him not hearing you. If he seems irritated, it’s just his competitive nature venting frustration that he did not think of the idea first.
The more irritated he appears, the better the idea must be.
Be persistent.
Driver has done a tremendous job as JBA president this year.
As you would expect from a corporate lawyer, in addition to the other responsibilities of his office, Driver undertook a complete reorganization of the Bar’s committee and section structure. Committees were consolidated and then organized into six sections based on the type of service provided to the Bar or community — Community Outreach, Litigation, Member Services, Practicing with Professionalism, Protecting Our Children and Transactional.
In addition to the committee chairs, each section was assigned a chair, vice chair and JBA board member to serve as a liaison.
At the conclusion of each year, the committee and section vice chairs will rotate to chair and new vice chairs will be appointed. The result is a more efficient organization designed to encourage greater participation in the legal and business communities and provide more and better services to JBA members.
The feedback received to date has consistently been positive and is a testament to Driver’s vision and leadership.
In light of this success, and in a transparent attempt at one-upmanship, incoming JBA President Braxton Gillam has pledged to add bureau and cabinet levels as well.
The new policy’s tagline, “Every Bar member an officer,” is currently being reviewed with focus groups.
Preliminary results are mixed.
Speaking of marketing efforts, The JBA expects to roll out a new and improved website in the coming months.
In addition to an updated and streamlined appearance, the website will include greater functionality as well.
The centerpiece of the site’s improved functionality is an integrated calendar and registration system designed to enhance the distribution of information about JBA events and to simplify the registration process.
JBA board member Giselle Carson and others have invested a great deal of time to help develop a cohesive and useful product that should serve as a major upgrade for our members.
Stay tuned, because more details regarding the new website will be available as the launch date approaches.
In other marketing news, there is a rumor that attorney John Morgan is preparing a video advertisement asking that someone in Jacksonville hire Tim Tebow.
The Bar association is considering a proposal to replace Susan Sowards with Tebow, but several hurdles might prevent that from happening.
The JBA board is not yet convinced its personnel and equipment can flip over to accommodate a left-handed leader — we don’t have compatible desks or mice.
Moreover, Gillam has been quoted as saying he cannot imagine a scenario in which that would happen. As with everything Tebow, it remains a longshot, but I wouldn’t bet against the guy.
In all seriousness, if you see Sowards or her team at the annual meeting, please take a minute to thank them for another excellent year.
She has the mostly thankless task of managing the JBA’s day-to-day operations and despite the economic downturn, the Bar has managed to maintain a solid financial position and membership roll while expanding the services we are able to offer our members.
The work Sowards and her staff perform on The JBA’s programming and events has made Jacksonville the envy of Bar associations statewide, and we are fortunate to have them.
I look forward to seeing you Thursday you at Deerwood.